How did I turn my victim into a phoenix-like hero?

Page 139

When she said the name "Beren," Sirocco's heartbeat returned to normal.

"But that's a pretty common name. Are you referring to a man or a woman? A real person or a game character?"

Hill confirmed that Sirocco's heart rate was regular and steady, then looked up at his brother's face with a puzzled expression.

"Hill, why are you suddenly asking me this?"

"because……"

Hill moved his lips:

“Brother, you said that name while you were sleeping, and Hill thought it was someone very important to you.”

"I was even saying it in my sleep? It seems like you're right, I really am innocent."

Sirocco smiled smugly.

A satisfied expression on his face, as if he were thinking about something he loved.

Hill's heart skipped a beat.

"So, that means your brother remembers it."

"Yes, that person is very important to me."

"More important than Xi'er?"

Sirocco smoothed Hill's light golden ponytail and looked directly into her eyes:

"As important."

"……Yeah."

Hill felt a pang in his heart.

I don't know if it's happiness or sadness, but it definitely caused a stir.

The brother's resolute yet loving expression said it all.

If you keep asking, you'll only hurt yourself.

Beren—

Hill will find you.

Having made up her mind, she took a deep breath of Sirocco's scent, pushed him away, and her expression changed to bright and innocent:

"Fine, whatever Beren is fine with me. Just promise Hill you won't dye your hair today."

Sirocco reluctantly squeezed out his words, like squeezing toothpaste:

"Huh—? I understand... I promise you..."

--------

Sirocco, with the hood of his hoodie pulled up and a gray baseball cap underneath, sported a hip-hop style outfit, almost as if he was about to put on sunglasses and shout "Check it out!"

Maintaining this disguise, she was approached by people along the way, but fortunately, Hill deflected them all with the excuse that "she is my girlfriend." The strange looks from those people made Sirocco feel uncomfortable in another sense.

Shouldn't it be Hill pretending to be his girlfriend? Isn't this backwards?

They arrived at the Explorer's Hall at the entrance to the dungeon, exchanged the R coins they had previously held for cash, and then easily led their sister to the BOSS room on the first floor of the dungeon.

Sirocco changed back into his trench coat and trousers, the attire he wore while exploring the dungeon.

Hill also changed into light armor, and while doing so, she volunteered to help Sirocco tie her hair; she really loved the feel of that white hair...

You need to fight a boss monster every time you enter the next floor.

"Ughh ...

Sirocco, level 17, meets Hill, level 11, and the first-floor gatekeeper monster—the Minotaur General.

"Pervert... a complete pervert! Brother, it's basically wearing nothing, just a little bit of cloth rolled up at the waist. This is practically sexual harassment. But it's still better than a man-eating plant."

“...As I said before, Hill, you focus on attracting the small monsters, and I'll deal with General Bull.”

"Is it always this troublesome to go to the next floor...?"

Hill complained as he used his skills to draw the attention of the Tauren heavy warrior.

Yes, it's not only troublesome, but if you stumble and die in front of a boss you've already defeated, it's both troublesome and embarrassing.

Those ordinary explorers are really having a tough time.

If you don't want to fight, you have to pay someone to protect you, or the safest way is to buy a teleportation crystal to skip it, but ultimately, the safest methods all cost money.

However, the boss monster respawns more frequently than regular monsters. After others defeat it, you can freely enter and exit for a certain period, giving you a chance to sneak to the next level and return using a teleport crystal...

The shop owner made a fortune.

The first-floor boss isn't too difficult for Sirocco these days.

When I was studying the strategy guide in my previous life, I had thoroughly figured out General Niu's weaknesses. Moreover, things are different now, and the challenge level is much higher.

It took about 10 minutes for Sirocco to defeat General Bull and then he and Hill arrived at the second floor.

The dungeon demon's shop is located in the gap between the second and third floors.

By sheer chance, Ricas became the first human to visit her shop a century later.

Sirocco and his sister's visit this time was purely to buy some things.

I didn't intend to trigger her storyline; it's just a side quest anyway.

If it is not triggered, the activation event will not occur; if the activation event does not occur, no Tauren will join, thus avoiding the problem—Q·E·D proof complete.

Ahead of them, a wide canyon divided the grassland where giant bulls grazed into two parts, north and south. Once they crossed this canyon, they would be in the area where the shop was located.

After passing through the area where the cattle were, the two walked onto a natural stone bridge spanning the canyon.

Although the stone bridge was wide, the canyon was over ten meters deep, so crossing it was still a bit nerve-wracking. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the bottom of the bridge.

What would happen if we fell off that bridge?

Sirocco shrugged and answered Hill's mutterings:

"As long as you're level 10, you shouldn't die. But you have to keep heading east to find the way up, and a bunch of wet, sticky monsters will pop up at the bottom of the valley, so getting back will be a real hassle."

"Yeah...."

Hill nodded, but because she sensed a different kind of emotion, not unease, passing across her face, Sirocco kept staring at her.

Then, as if keenly sensing her brother's question, she looked at the canyon behind her and said:

“Hill was just thinking about some things. If it's facing a BOSS and you've exhausted all sorts of methods like scouting, leveling up, and researching tactics, but still lose in the end, then there's nothing you can do... But Hill absolutely cannot accept dying from accidentally falling from a height.”

"Soul players often slip and fall to their deaths... But yeah, that's reality after all. Once you die, it's over. I wouldn't want to die such an embarrassing death either."

"Since we agree, brother, lead the way quickly! Hill also wants to see what a demon looks like!"

"Good good."

--------

The brother and sister arrived at a depression surrounded by low, dense shrubs, with scenery no different from their surroundings.

Sirocco crouched down and examined the base of a tree root, discovering a purple root.

It is here.

He reached out and touched the empty void.

"[The fox in the mountain sneezed yesterday and caught a plump fish today, which needs a proper kitchen preparation.]"

Click——

Success! The code was correct.

"Oh oh oh!"

The surrounding scenery changed abruptly, and Hill couldn't help but marvel.

A small square with a diameter of about 80 meters resembles an architectural scene from ancient Greece, with traces of vegetation everywhere. In the very center stands an exquisite four-story villa surrounded by vegetation.

This is the special gap between the second and third floors.

Sirocco opened the wooden door, and the wind chimes tinkled melodiously.

The moment I stepped inside, my body felt a strange dryness, like after swimming and drying off, which disappeared in less than a second.

The skill and magic are silenced, creating a barrier effect in the shop.

What first attracted him was not the rows of shelves that were over ten meters high and seemed to have no end, nor the dazzling array of goods.

"welcome."

Behind the chrome-bronze sales counter sat the shop owner, who was also the first person Sirocco noticed—

Asmodi

Asmodeus is supposed to be over a thousand years old, old enough to be a great-great-great-grandmother. But never call her an old woman, or she'll beat you half to death.

If it weren't for her slightly pointed ears and two goat horns, no one would recognize her as a demon.

With graceful bearing, she wore a tight-fitting black open-chest cheongsam adorned with gilded floral patterns, draped with a beige vest. Her long, straight, ink-black hair covered one eye, and her cherry-colored lips drew in the slender pipe in her hand, exhaling wisps of smoke. Her gaze was languid yet undeniably noble.

Unlike Pris, who was so tired she was practically dead lazy, she was more like a leisurely noblewoman content with the status quo.